Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
“Is hims hurt bad?” River asks.
“He’s talking, and I know he wants to see you.” He evades the question.
“I’m scared,” Rayne says.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Roman assures her. “Everything is going to be okay.” His voice is calm and soothing, but I can hear it. There’s some worry and fear of his own laced into his words.
I can hear the girls sniffling in the back seat, but I can’t turn to comfort them. I know as soon as I do, I’ll upset them even more, which will upset me even more. So, instead, I keep facing forward, while I send up a silent prayer to keep him safe.
Please let him be okay.
The drive to the local county hospital is the longest ride of my life. In reality, it didn’t take us more than fifteen minutes, but my heart and my head are in disagreement about the length of time. My head knows the distance, and my heart feels a lifetime of fear.
Taking a deep breath, I wipe at my cheeks and turn to face my daughters. “We have to be sure to use our inside voices in the building, okay? There are people who are sick and trying to sleep.”
“Like Forrest?” Rayne asks.
“Yeah, sweetie. Like Forrest.”
“Let’s get inside. Everyone is waiting for us.” Roman steps out of the car, and I do the same. We each help the girls out of the car and hold their hands on the way inside the emergency department. As soon as we’re through the automatic doors, I see a small crowd of people.
Our people.
Emerson comes rushing over, and I think she’s going for Roman, but she bypasses him and comes straight to me. She wraps me in a hug and whispers in my ear, “He’s okay. He’s going to be okay.”
I break. I don’t know if it’s her arms that are locked around me in a caring embrace or if it’s the overwhelming relief after such intense fear that he’s going to be okay, but I sob into her shoulder. It’s only the scared voices of my daughters that finally has me pulling away.
“Where is Forrest?”
“I want Forrest.”
“Briar.”
I turn to find Brogan, with Maggie on her heels, rushing into the ER. “We came as soon as we heard. How is he?”
“He’s going to be okay. He’s asking for Briar and the girls,” Lachlan explains.
“We want to go,” River demands, crossing her little arms over her chest.
“I want to go too.” Rayne mocks her sister's stance.
“You heard the lady,” Lachlan teases. “Come on. I’ll take you all back.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“I’ve been back already, and so have Lachlan, Legend, and Maddox. He’s going to want to see you three before the rest of us. Trust me on that,” Emerson explains.
I nod, take one of the girls’ hands in each of mine, and follow Lachlan down the hall. “I’m just showing them to his room, and I’ll be right back out,” he tells the nurse. “I know there is a two-person limit, but two little humans count as one, right?” He winks.
The nurse smiles and glances down at the girls. “I only see two, with one leading the way that’s going to come right back out.” She tosses back her own wink and goes right back to typing on her computer. She must be in her early sixties, and the wink, well, it suits her. I’m sure she’s used to dealing with all kinds of personalities in her line of work.
“Thank you,” I mumble.
“You’re welcome, dear.”
Lachlan stops at the end of the hall. “Go on in,” he tells me as he holds the door open for us.
Quietly, we step into the room. Fresh tears are already coating my cheeks, and I’m certain I’m holding the girls’ hands too tightly.
Forrest is lying in the bed with a bandage on his forehead. His eyes are closed, and it gives me a few minutes to take him in. His face is bruised, and there are a few scrapes.
“Forty,” Rayne whispers.
His eyes pop open, and he smiles. “There’s my girls.”
My daughters pull out of my hold, probably due to my sweaty palms, and rush to his side of the bed. “You gots a boo-boo,” Rayne says softly.
“I do, but I’m going to be just fine.”
“You got hurted,” River adds.
“I was in an accident, but I’m okay. Just a bad boo-boo.”
“Mommy cried, and we did too,” River says, trying to climb up on the bed.
“River, be careful. Forrest is hurt.” I rush to stop her, but he grunts as he lifts her up on the bed, and she wraps her arms around his neck.
“I’m fine, baby,” he assures me. “Dazzle, did you come here to give me some love?” he asks Rayne.
Her reply is to start to climb, and with another grunt, he lifts her up to the bed, and she, too, hugs him as if her life depends on it.